I will occasionally run into passengers, almost always families traveling together, who will ask me to move seats so they can be seated next to each other. I think it’s rude to ask, but will generally comply as long...
Brussels to Newark in Continental Airlines Economy Class
Here’ a brief rundown of my return trip on Continental from Brussels to Newark. CO61 BRU-EWR 0950 Dep 1225 Arr Upon boarding, I was greeted by no less than five FA’s who remembered me from the flight over Friday...
New London to Baghdad Service on Al-Naser Airlines
State-run Iraqi Airways ran into more than it bargained for when it attempted to restart service between Baghdad and London earlier this year. Iraq’s flag carrier had been banned in Europe since 1990 and either forgot or didn’t give...
Newark to Brussels in Continental Airlines Economy Class
I’ve been particularly harsh on Continental over a spattering of posts spanning the last week and a half and offer this review of my in-flight experience from Newark to Brussels and back to demonstrate that Continental certainly does many...
TSA’s Mysterious New Pat-Down Policy
Even before news came about the plot to blow up US-bound cargo jets on Friday, the TSA had announced another security enhancement: a "new hand-sliding technique" when it comes to pat-down searches. The TSA is smart enough to know that Americans...
Sandals on Airplanes
After a long day of flying yesterday, I just wanted to get home. I had one flight left: San Francisco to Burbank on United Express. The flight wasn’t full, in fact it was less than half full, and I...
The Return of Pan Am?
I wouldn’t get excited just yet, but another Pan Am reincarnation is in the works. Pan American Airways will announce its return to the skies on Friday, November 12 at noon in front of the historic Pan American Airways Building...
UA849 (PHL-LAX) Diverts to Nashville
As Maxwell Smart would say, “Missed it by that much…” Something happened aboard United 849 tonight, the evening non-stop flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. I was booked on that flight and missed it due to a mix-up at...
More on United’s One-Way Star Alliance Awards
We still don’t have an official announcement about one-way Star Alliance awards on United, but they are definitely bookable now by calling United Reservations. We can also breathe a collective sigh of relief: multiple UA res. agents have confirmed...
RE: What United Giveth, United Taketh Away
Earlier today, I blogged about my confirmed upgrade from IAD-BOS mysteriously disappearing overnight. From what I gathered at Dulles this morning, someone with a fat-finger in inventory management accidentally cleared all the waitlisted upgrades last night (to put it...
What United Giveth, United Taketh Away
I’m scratching my head as I sit in the Philadelphia Red Carpet Club this morning. I’ve got a meeting in Boston today and am traveling from PHL-IAD-BOS. Last night, I got a text message from United that my upgrade...
One-Way Star Alliance Awards Coming Tomorrow on United Airlines
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, United is on the brink of an announcement introducing one-way Star Alliance (and perhaps partner) awards. It is still not clear whether stopovers will remain on round-trip awards, Star and partner flights...
America’s Meanest Airlines (and why my list is different)
Hamooda Shami over at Yahoo! Travel put together a list of the five worst major airlines and the four worst regional airlines. To formulate his scores, he took a look at the Airline Quality Rating (AQR) Report and a "number of other sources"...
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against United by Blind Passengers
Three California blind residents, frequent travelers on United Airlines, have filed a class action lawsuit against the airline. The suit centers on UA’s EZ Check-In Machines (aka Mr. Chickens) and whether the touchscreen interface unfairly prohibits blind passengers from taking...
1,000 Miles for Enrolling in US Airways Dividend Miles
If you haven’t already joined US Airways’ Dividend Miles program, take advantage of a new 1,000 bonus mile offer for signing up. Simply join by December 31 using promo code NMCB. You can also earn 2,000 additional miles if you...
United VP Hints that Economy Plus Will Remain
We still don’t have official confirmation that Economy Plus will remain on the post-merger United, but at an aviation summit in New Orleans yesterday, United’s vice president of operations planning and international operations, Cindy Szadokierski provided this glimmer of hope:...
Hypoglycemic United FA Picks and Eats Warm Nuts as She Serves Them
Have you ever had a FA sample your food–in front of you? From Flyertalk: I was on a [United Airlines’] mid-con 757 on row 3 in F. As the FA was bringing out the warm nuts, She was picking...
Delta Not Worried About Southwest’s Arrival in Atlanta
When news broke that Southwest and AirTran would be merging, I opined that the long-term ramifications would not be beneficial to consumers. I stand by that analysis and it seems that Delta’s CEO Richard Anderson agrees. At Delta’s third-quarter earnings...
Humor: The Trials and Tricks of Traveling While Fat
No–this is not a post where I pick on "passengers of size." I do have my fair share of XXL seatmate stories, but they are not nearly as funny as this self-deprecating travelogue by NY Times columnist Rob Goldstone. Here’s a few excerpts: Discreetly, I point...
New JetBlue TV Ad Pokes Fun at Checked Bag Fees
Southwest was on to something when it started mercilessly attacking its legacy rivals for charging for checked bags. WN’s simple message that its passengers would not be nickeled and dimed seems to have resonated with travelers, even noting that leisure and other...
